Electronic device provided with cover

ABSTRACT

An electronic device includes: a first housing  1 ; a cover  11  capable of covering a portion of the first housing  1  to be covered; and a waterproofing member  12  placed around the portion to be covered. The cover  11  is displaceable between a closed position at which the cover covers the portion to be covered and an open position at which the cover opens the portion to be covered. The cover  11  is in contact with the waterproofing member  12  when it is at the closed position. Even if the number of terminals increases, since the waterproofing member  12  is provided on the first housing  1 , the single waterproofing member can render all of the terminals waterproof. Thus, it is possible to reduce the number of components and to reduce the number of assembling steps.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present application relates to an electronic device provided with acover.

2. Description of Related Art

In recent years, electronic devices, such as notebook computers, havebeen introduced on the market with improved waterproofness,dripproofness and dustproofness in view of the use in a variety ofoutdoor environments. For such electronic devices, a cover may beprovided to cover a terminal to which a cable or the like can beconnected because the adhesion of liquid, dust, etc. to the terminalcould lead to electronic device failure.

JP 2005-347432 A discloses a waterproofing cover that is fitted to ahousing portion. The waterproofing cover is composed of an operatingcase and a movable member. The operating case is operated toattach/detach the waterproofing cover to/from the opening of the housingportion and the movable member is provided inside the operating case andis movable in a movable space. The moveable member is provided withretractable lugs. In response to the movement of the movable member inthe movable space, the retractable lugs stick out/retract throughwindows formed in a sidewall of the operating case and are fittedto/removed from an engagement groove formed in the inner radius wall ofthe housing portion. The moveable member can be moved by operating aboss through an operating window formed in the operating case.

In the configuration disclosed in JP 2005-347432 A, a gasket forensuring the waterproofness of the device is provided on the cover atthe interfacial portion between the cover and the opening. When coveringa plurality of housing portions with covers using this configuration,independent gaskets need to be provided for the respective covers. Whengaskets are provided independently for the respective covers, the numberof men-hours needed to assemble them increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The electronic device disclosed in the present application includes: ahousing; a cover capable of covering a portion of the housing to becovered; and a waterproofing member placed around the portion to becovered. The cover is displaceable between a closed position at whichthe cover covers the portion to be covered and an open position at whichthe cover opens the portion to be covered, and the cover is in contactwith the waterproofing member when the cover is at the closed position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a notebook computer according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of principle components of a terminalportion.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of principal components of a cover andthose in the vicinity of the cover when the cover is open.

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of principal components of the coverand those in the vicinity of the cover when the cover is closed.

FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of principal components of the coverand those in the vicinity of the cover when the cover is locked.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of principal components showing amodified example of the terminal portion.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of principal components showing amodified example of the waterproofing member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

An electronic device according to one embodiment includes: a housing; acover capable of covering a portion of the housing to be covered; and awaterproofing member placed around the portion to be covered. The coveris displaceable between a closed position at which the cover covers theportion to be covered and an open position at which the cover opens theportion to be covered, and the cover is in contact with thewaterproofing member when the cover is at the closed position.

The electronic device may be modified such that the waterproofing memberhas elasticity, and when the cover is at the closed position, the coveris in contact with the waterproofing member and deforms thewaterproofing member. As a result of configuring the electronic devicein this way, the waterproofness can be improved further.

The electronic device may be modified such that a protection member isprovided on the waterproofing member at a part with which the cover cancome into contact. As a result of configuring the electronic device inthis way, it is possible to prevent the waterproofing member fromgetting damaged when a user tries to connect a plug to the terminal butaccidentally bumps the plug against the waterproofing member.

The electronic device may be modified such that the portion to becovered includes a main portion and a subportion to be covered, and thewaterproofing member is placed around the main portion and thesubportion to be covered. As a result of configuring the electronicdevice in this way, an increase in the number of terminals does not leadto an increase the number of the waterproofing member. Thus, it ispossible to reduce the number of components and to reduce the cost.Further, since the number of steps during the assembly can be reduced,the assembly process can be improved.

Embodiment [1. Configuration of Electronic Device]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a notebook computer as one example of theelectronic device according to the present embodiment. Although thenotebook computer is taken in the present embodiment as one example ofthe electronic device, it may be any device that is at least providedwith a cover for covering a terminal or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the notebook computer includes a first housing 1 anda second housing 2. The first housing 1 includes, for example, a harddisk drive and a circuit board on which a variety of electroniccomponents are mounted. The second housing 2 includes a display panel 4(liquid crystal display). The first housing 1 and the second housing 2are each supported rotatably by hinges 3. Each of the hinges 3 includesa spindle for supporting the first housing 1 and the second housing 2rotatably in the direction indicated by the arrow A or B. A keyboard 5and a pointing device 6 are placed on a top face 1 a of the firsthousing 1. A terminal portion 10 is provided on a side face 1 b of thefirst housing 1.

[2. Configuration of Terminal Portion]

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the terminal portion 10. The terminalportion 10 includes a cover 11, a waterproofing member 12, a terminal 13and a concave portion 14.

The cover 11 is displaceable between a closed position at which thecover 11 covers the terminal 13 and an open position at which the cover11 opens the terminal 13. The cover 11 is supported rotatably withrespect to the first housing 1. The cover 11 includes a cover portion 11a, a sliding member 11 b, a first protrusion 11 c, a rib 11 d and asupporting portion 11 e. The cover portion 11 a has a size that is atleast enough for the cover 11 to cover the terminal 13. The slidingmember 11 b is placed on the top face of the cover portion 11 a slidablyin the plane direction of the top face (the direction indicated by thearrow C or D). The first protrusion 11 c is formed integrally with anend of the sliding member 11 b. The rib 11 d is formed on theundersurface (the underside of the top face) of the cover portion 11 aand sticks out from the undersurface. The rib 11 d is formed at aposition where it at least can come into contact with the waterproofingmember 12 when the cover 11 is displaced to the closed position. The rib11 d is formed integrally with the cover portion 11 a. The rib 11 d isformed to at least surround the terminal 13 when the cover 11 isdisplaced to the closed position. The supporting portion 11 e is formedintegrally with the cover 11 a. One end of the supporting portion 11 eis fixed to the first housing 1. The supporting portion 11 e supportsthe cover portion 11 a and its accompanying members rotatably. Thesupporting member 11 e preferably has a small thickness so that thecover portion 11 a and its accompanying members can be rotated smoothly.

The waterproofing member 12 is bonded to the side face 1 b of the firsthousing 1 at a part surrounding at least the terminal 13. Thewaterproofing member 12 is made of a material capable of ensuring thewaterproofness of the terminal 13. For example, the waterproofing member12 can be made of silicone foam. Although the waterproofing member 12can be bonded to the first housing 1 with adhesive tape or the like, thewaterproofing member 12 preferably is bonded to the first housing 1 bywaterproof bonding means in order to prevent at least the entry ofliquid through between the waterproofing member 12 and the first housing1. At the junction between the cover 11 and the first housing 1,extension of the waterproofing member 12 to the interfacial portionbetween the cover 11 and the first housing 1 allows the cover 11 to befixed to the first housing 1 by screws or the like.

The terminal 13 is placed in the first housing 1. An external cable orthe like can be connected to the terminal 13 through an opening formedin the side face 1 b. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 13 isa USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal.

The concave portion 14 is formed in the first housing 1 at a positionopposing the supporting portion 11 e relative to the terminal 13. Thefirst protrusion 11 c can be fitted to or removed from the concaveportion 14 when the cover 11 is displaced to the closed position.Although one concave portion 14 and one first protrusion 11 c areprovided in the present embodiment, a plurality of concave portions 14and first protrusions 11 c may be provided. Further, the firstprotrusion 11 c is disposed at the center of the end side of the slidingmember 11 b in the present embodiment, but the first protrusion 11 c maybe disposed at a position other than the center. Furthermore, the lengthof the concave portion 14 and that of the protrusion 11 c are notlimited to those shown in FIG. 2. For example, the first protrusion 11 cmay be formed to have substantially the same length as the end side ofthe sliding member 11 b and the length of the concave portion 14 may beadjusted accordingly.

Hereinafter, opening/closing of the cover 11 will be described.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the cover 11 when it is at the openposition. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the cover 11 when it isat the closed position. FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of the cover11 when it is at the closed position and is locked.

When displacing the cover 11 to the closed position from the openposition shown in FIG. 3A, first, the sliding member 11 b is displacedto a retracted position as shown in FIG. 3A. When displacing the cover11 to the closed position from the open position, unless the slidingmember 11 b is not displaced to the retracted position, the firstprotrusion 11 c may come into contact with the first housing 1 or thelike, causing difficulty in displacing the cover 11 to the closedposition.

Here, the sliding member 11 b is slidable between the retracted positionshown in FIG. 3A and a protruded position shown in FIG. 3C. The slidingmember 11 b includes a second protrusion 11 f on its surface opposingthe cover portion 11 a. Further, the cover portion 11 a includes a firstconcave portion 11 g and a second concave portion 11 h on its surfaceopposing the sliding member 11 b. When the sliding member 11 b is at theretracted position shown in FIG. 3A, the second protrusion 11 f isfitted to the second concave portion 11 h to position the sliding member11 b. Further, when the sliding member 11 b is at the protruded position(FIG. 3C), the second protrusion 11 f is fitted to the first concaveportion 11 g to position the sliding member 11 b.

Next, the cover 11 is displaced in the direction indicated by the arrowE. At this time, the cover 11 is supported by the supporting portion 11e and is displaced in the direction indicted by the arrow E.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the cover 11 is displaced to a position at whichthe rib 11 d comes into contact with the waterproofing member 12. In thepresent embodiment, the cover 11 is displaced to the position at whichthe rib 11 d comes into contact with the waterproofing member 12.However, since the waterproofing member 12 has elasticity, thewaterproofing member 12 preferably is pressed and deformed by the rib 11d and has such a thickness that the rib 11 d can be buried in thewaterproofing member 12. That is, the rib 11 d preferably can be buriedin the waterproofing member 12. As a result, the contact between the rib11 d and the waterproofing member 12 further improves, thereby furtherensuring the waterproofness. That is, the rib 11 d and the waterproofingmember 12 may come into contact with each other to an extent that doesnot involve deformation of the waterproofing member 12. In this case,however, if microscopic asperities are present on the surface of thewaterproofing member 12 with which the rib 11 b comes into contact orthe rib 11 d and the waterproofing member 12 come into contact with eachother without being parallel to each other when the cover 11 is closed,microscopic gaps develop between the rib 11 d and the waterproofingmember 12. Thus, there is a chance that liquid enters the terminal 13through the gaps. In the present embodiment, the waterproofing member 12is made of an elastic material and the rib 11 d presses and deforms thewaterproofing member 12 when the cover 11 is displaced to the closedposition. As a result, gaps hardly develop between the rib 11 d and thewaterproofing member 12. Accordingly, even if microscopic asperities arepresent on the surface of the waterproofing member 12 with which the rib11 d comes into contact or the rib 11 d and the waterproofing member 12come into contact with each other without being parallel to each otherwhen the cover 11 is closed, the waterproofness can be ensured.

Although the present embodiment has been described on the premise thatthe cover 11 is provided with the rib 11 d, the rib 11 d is notessential. Even with the cover 11 not provided with the rib 11 d, asufficient degree of waterproofing can be achieved if the contactbetween the cover 11 and the waterproofing member 12 can be improved.

Further, the cover portion 11 a is made of a material having at leasthardness sufficient to withstand the resilience of the waterproofingmember 12.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, the sliding member 11 b is displaced in thedirection indicated by the arrow D to fit the first protrusion 11 c intothe concave portion 14. At this time, the second protrusion 11 f isfitted to the first concave portion 11 g, so that the sliding member 11b is positioned at the protruded position. For this reason, even if aforce is applied to the cover 11 in the direction indicated by the arrowF, since the first protrusion 11 c is fitted to the concave portion 14,the cover 11 does not get deformed in the direction indicated by thearrow F.

Next, when displacing the cover 11 to the open position from the closedposition shown in FIG. 3C, first, the sliding member 11 b is displacedin the direction indicated by the arrow C to remove the first protrusion11 c from the concave portion 14. The sliding member 11 b is displacedin the direction indicated by the arrow C to a position at which thesecond protrusion 11 f is fitted to the second concave portion 11 h (seeFIG. 3B). Next, the cover 11 is rotated in the direction indicated bythe arrow F and is displaced to the open position shown in FIG. 3A.

Although the terminal portion 10 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A to 3C includesone terminal 13, it may include a plurality of terminals.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the terminal portion 10 in a mollifiedexample. The terminal portion 10 shown in FIG. 4 includes threeterminals (first terminal 24, second terminal 25, third terminal 26). Afirst cover 21 is placed in the vicinity of the first terminal 24, asecond cover 22 is placed in the vicinity of the second terminal 25, anda third cover 23 is placed in the vicinity of the third terminal 26. Thecovers 21 to 23 each are supported rotatably with respect to the firsthousing 1. Each of the covers 21 to 23 is independently rotatable. Sincethe detailed configuration of the covers 21 to 23 is the same as that ofthe cover 11 shown in FIG. 2, the detailed description of theirconfiguration will not be repeated.

A waterproofing member 27 is placed in the vicinity of the terminals 24to 26. The waterproofing member 27 is placed so as to surround each ofthe terminals 24 to 26. Through holes are formed in the waterproofingmember 27 at positions corresponding to the terminals 24 to 26. That is,the single waterproofing member 27 can prevent liquid from entering theterminals 24 to 26. Since the detailed configuration and the material ofthe waterproofing member 27 are the same as those of the waterproofingmember 12 shown in FIG. 2, the detailed description thereof will not berepeated.

For the terminal portion shown in FIG. 4, the way the covers 21 to 23rotate and the structure for rendering the terminals 24 to 26 waterproofare the same as those described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3A to 3C.Thus, the detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

As shown in FIG. 4, even in the case where a plurality of terminals areprovided, the single waterproofing member can render all of theterminals waterproof. Thus, as compared with the configuration in whichwaterproofing members are provided independently for respectiveterminals, the number of components can be reduced and thereby the costcan be reduced. Further, since only one waterproofing member needs to bebonded during the waterproofing member bonding step at the time ofassembling the first housing 1, the number of steps can be reduced.

[3. Effects of Embodiment, etc.]

According to the present embodiment, because the waterproofing member 12is provided on the first housing 1 side, the notebook computer can bereduced in size. Hereinafter, the description will be given of thereasons why the notebook computer can be reduced in size.

If the waterproofing member is provided on the cover and the rib isprovided on the first housing side, the rib to be formed around aterminal has to have a large opening area with consideration given tothe thickness of an insulating cover at least covering a part of a plugto be connected to the terminal. An increase in the opening area of therib leads to an increase in the size of the terminal portion, whichleads to an increase the size of the first housing 1. For cables such asa USB cable, a power cable and a LAN cable, generally, a holding portion(portion where a part of the plug portion and a part of the conductorare covered with a thick insulating cover) placed between a plug portion(portion that is connected to the terminal electrically) and a cableportion (portion where the conductor is coated and insulated) is largerin thickness then the plug portion. Thus, when the rib is provided onthe first housing side, the opening area of the rib increases.

In contrast, when the rib 11 d is provided on the cover 11 as in thepresent embodiment, it is not necessary to give consideration to thethickness of the holding portion of the cable when determining theopening area of the rib 11 d. That is, the rib 11 d needs to at leastcome into contact with the waterproofing member 12 when the cover 11 isdisplaced to the closed position. Thus, the waterproofing member 12 canbe disposed near the terminal 13. As a result, the size of the terminalportion 10 can be reduced and the size of the first housing 1 also canbe reduced. Further, even if the opening area of the rib 11 d isreduced, the rib 11 d still can come into contact with the waterproofingmember 12. By reducing the opening area of the rib 11 d, it is possibleto reduce the size of the cover 11.

Further, the waterproofing member is provided on the terminal side inthe present embodiment. Thus, even if the number of terminals increasesas shown in FIG. 4, the single waterproofing member 27 can render all ofthe terminals 24 to 26 waterproof. That is, in the case of providing thewaterproofing member on the cover, it is necessary to provide thewaterproofing members as many as the terminals (the number of covers),which leads to an increase in the number of components. This results notonly in an increase in the cost but also in an increase in the number ofwaterproofing member bonding steps at the time of assembling thenotebook computer. In the present embodiment, on the other hand, thewaterproofing member is provided on the terminal side. Thus, regardlessof the number of terminals, the single waterproofing member can renderall of the terminals waterproof. Therefore, the number of components canbe reduced and thereby the cost can be reduced. Further, when assemblingthe notebook computer, only one waterproofing member needs to be bondedduring the waterproofing member bonding step regardless of the number ofterminals. Thus, the assembly workability can be improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the cover portion 11 a is atthe closed portion shown in FIG. 3C, it applies pressure in thedirection perpendicular to the surface with which the cover portion 11 aand the waterproofing member 12 come into contact. As a result, thecontact between the cover portion 11 a and the waterproofing member 12can be improved, so that waterproofing can be improved with certainty.

Although the waterproofing members 12 and 27 in the present embodimentare made of silicone foam, they can be made of any material as long asit has elasticity and is capable of preventing the entry of liquid. Thewaterproofing members 12 and 27 preferably are made of a monolithicmaterial in order to ensure the waterproofness. The waterproofing member12 and 27 may be made of silicone rubber, nitrile rubber, etc., so as toprovide them with elasticity.

Further, in the present embodiment, the waterproofing members 12 and 27are not only capable of preventing the entry of moisture as their name“waterproofing” suggests. That is, the waterproofing members in thepresent embodiment are capable of preventing the entry of not only waterbut also a variety of liquids and solids. The waterproofing members arewaterproof and dustproof, so that they can prevent liquid, foreignmatter, etc., from entering the terminal portion to cause a shortcircuit in the terminal portion.

Further, in the present embodiment, the sliding member 11 b is providedand the first protrusion 11 c is fitted to the concave portion 14 toposition the cover 11 at the closed position. However, it is notnecessary for the cover 11 to be positioned in such a manner. Inaddition to the positioning of the cover 11 described in the presentembodiment, an elastic member to which the cover 11 can be press fittedis provided in the vicinity of the terminal of the first housing and thecover 11 is press fitted to and held by the elastic member.

Further, the notebook computer has been described in the presentembodiment as one example of the electronic device. However, any deviceat least provided with a cover capable of covering a portion to becovered may be used as the electronic device. The characteristic of theembodiment can be applied to a variety of terminals provided for, forexample, mobile phone terminals, portable game machines and digitalcameras. Furthermore, the characteristic of the embodiment can also beapplied to a battery-housing portion of a portable device in which abattery can be housed.

In the present embodiment, the waterproofing member made of silicon foamis provided. Generally silicone foam is not so resistant to an externalimpact. Thus, if a user accidentally bumps the tip of a plug against thewaterproofing member in the vicinity of the terminal when attaching theplug to the terminal, the waterproofing member could be damaged.Particularly, with plugs made of metal or those having a sharp shapesuch as a USB cable, there is a high possibility of the waterproofingmember being damaged. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, a protection film31 is preferably provided on the surface (surface opposing the cover 11when the cover 11 is closed) of the waterproofing member 12. Theprotection film 31 is preferably made of a soft resin that is lesslikely to be damaged even if an external impact is applied thereto. Thestrength becomes higher as the thickness of the protection film 31increases. However, in view of the space between the first housing 1 andthe cover 11, the thickness of the protection film 31 in the presentembodiment is set to 0.5 mm, for example.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of terminals areprovided on one surface of the first housing 1 (side face 1 b in FIG.4). Even for a plurality of terminals provided on a plurality ofsurfaces of the first housing 1, a single waterproofing member canrender them waterproof as in the present embodiment.

Further, the cover portion 11 a or the sliding member 11 b is preferablymade of a material having flexibility. That is, when the sliding member11 b is displaced in the direction indicated by the arrow C or D, thesecond protrusion 11 f hits the raised portion between the first concaveportion 11 g and the second concave portion 11 h. At this time, if thecover portion 11 a or the sliding member 11 b is made of a flexiblematerial, the raised portion between the first concave portion 11 g andthe second concave portion 11 h or the second protrusion 11 f deforms.Thus, the sliding member 11 b can be displaced smoothly in the directionindicated by the arrow C or D. The cover 11 a or the sliding member 11 bis preferably made of a soft resin, particularly preferably anelastically-deformable soft resin having elasticity (e.g., polybutyleneterephthalate resin, nitrile rubber, silicone rubber). Further, as aresult of the cover portion 11 a being made of a flexible material, thesupporting portion 11 e integral to the cover portion 11 a becomesflexible. As a result of the supporting portion 11 e becoming flexible,the supporting portion 11 e can be prevented from getting damaged fromfatigue even if the cover 11 is opened/closed repeatedly.

Further, the supporting portion 11 e may be provided with a spindle forsupporting the cover portion 11 a rotatably in the directions indicatedby the arrows E and F.

Further, the first concave portion 11 g and the second concave portion11 h may be provided not only on the surface of the cover portion 11 afacing the sliding member 11 b but also on a portion where the coverportion 11 a and the sliding portion 11 b at least come into contactwith each other.

Further, the rib 11 d is not essential. When not providing the rib 11 d,it is preferable to bring the surface of the cover portion 11 a facingthe waterproofing member 12 to surface contact with the waterproofingmember 12. Further, when brining the cover portion 11 a into contactwith the waterproofing member 12, it is preferable that the coverportion 11 a deforms the waterproofing member 12 by compression becausethe contact between the cover portion 11 a and the waterproofing member12 can be improved and waterproofing can be improved with certainty.

The first housing 1 according to the present embodiment is one exampleof the housing of the present application. The cover 11 according to thepresent embodiment is one example of the cover of the presentapplication. The waterproofing member 12 according to the presentembodiment is one example of the waterproofing member of the presentapplication. The protection film 31 according to the present embodimentis one example of the protection member of the present application.

The electronic device disclosed in the present application is useful asa device provided with a cover capable of covering a portion to becovered.

The invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from thespirit of essential characteristics thereof. The embodiments disclosedin this application are to be considered in all respects as illustrativeand not limiting. The scope of the invention is indicated by theappended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are intended to be embraced therein.

1. An electronic device comprising: a housing; a cover capable of covering a portion of the housing to be covered; and a waterproofing member placed around the portion to be covered, wherein the cover is displaceable between a closed position at which the cover covers the portion to be covered and an open position at which the cover opens the portion to be covered, and the cover is in contact with the waterproofing member when the cover is at the closed position.
 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the waterproofing member has elasticity, and when the cover is at the closed position, the cover is in contact with the waterproofing member and deforms the waterproofing member.
 3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a protection member is provided on the waterproofing member at a part with which the cover can come into contact.
 4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the portion to be covered includes a main portion and a subportion to be covered, and the waterproofing member is placed around the main portion and the subportion to be covered. 